Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1887-06-29
LAKE PRES

LAKE PRESTON.
The Travels of a College Missionary In
the Dakota Field-Frostwork, Crops
and the General Outlook.
Preston, Dakota, June 27--To the
Press and Dakotaian: Left .Yankton
Friday morning by the Northwestern in
q drenohing rain. We found we had
made as great mistake in leaving behind
our overooat, as we did in Edinboro,
Scotland, in goIng out for o sight seeing
on q sunny morning in leaving u
umbrella behind. 1t rained hard all the
wayeto Centerville and did not hold up
until we boarded the train for the north.
Midway between Oenteryille and
Iroquois we came upon the frost belt.
Two nights before the frost had passed
over this section and did serious work
in the cern field and potato patches and
gardens. The corn had nothing it could
afford to part with, for the dry weather
had given the crop in this section a
stunted growth. Now for the frost to
cut it at this late hour it cannot but
look as almost hopeless when harvest
days are considered. The rayages OF the
frcst are seen all the way from Salem to
Iroquois.
We noticed q fine church edifce about
completed at Esmond, which We we're
told had been built by the Congrega-
tional society. K%ingsbury county has
seven Congregational church ~organiza-
tiens and Ans church sdifees. In this
county We are told it already numbers
seven towns, all railroad. stations on the
Northwestern and Milwaukee roads.
When we reached De Smet numbers of
people were drawn to our train
and were looking eagerly under
the cars. 1 inquired il there was
anything that was broken. No,
said one Of the train employees, 9 boy
has been found on the car hrakea steal
ing aride. He had already travelled in
this dangerous position from Huron. OF
course the boy was hauled out and left
behind at De Smet.
We reached Preston at 8 p. M, Here
we found great activity prevailing on
the new road, a Milwaukee extension
from Madison to Bristol. The trains
have been running from Madison to
Preston and the road is entirely graded
from Preston to Bristol. Track laying
4 - IT, ,N2 AZ. - -EHE rrLHLrL.
began last Monday at Preston, moving
n~orthward. Saturday night the shrlI1
whistle OF the iron horse is heard ten
miles to the, north, where another
station is laid. This road is moving on
ward at the rate Of two miles and mere
day. The arrival OF q large
bnildingtwo stories high on four trucks
for q boarding house for the large num-
Der OF hands employed on the railroad
construction was. chronioied in Preston
Saturday night. A similar boarding
establishment came last week.
Tho track, laying of ties and rails is
pushed forward in a novel way and in
railroad dispatch by 6 nameless machine
like q locomotive rolling forward the
ties and then planting the rails while
two men, one on either side, drive the
spikes and then the signal is given and
she cars move on and more ties and
more rails and more spikes are placed,
and then onward the train moves, This
is truly a railroad age, q fast age. Speed
is the watchword and those who cannot
use this word are lett behind.
IT money makers are following up
these railroad advances and anchoring
down in the newly laid ont stations 30
are the christian workers, the Sabbath
workers and the ministers. Rev. A. Fl.
Robbins, the Congregational minister
at that place preston Kingsbury ooun-
ty) goes for the first time to o station
on the new road from Madison to Pres
ton, twelve miles distant, to preach to
the people while your correspondent
fills his pulpit here in the interest OF
Yankton college. The Congregation
alists have d beautiful church building,
. fine, commodious parsonage ''hard by
the synagogue" where your correspon-
dent is now writing. Mr.. Robbins is q
scholarly man, a graduate Of Oberlin
college, Ohio. MIR. Appleton, .he pastor
Of the church, at Lake Henry, whom 7
visited yesterday, is also q graduate OF
Oberlin. The minister OF. De Smet is
also an oberlin nan Judge 10 wen's
wife. Of the same place, is another
graduate ard two miles south of De
smet lives Mr.. Drake. whose wife is
Ii graduate. These Obeflin sons and